Visit the Website at:
www.Thermal122.com

Thermal Motorsports Park & Club, a private 4.5-mile race track facility proposed near the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, gained a lap this week.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to amend the plot plan for Kohl Ranch, a residential lifestyle development dating back to 1999, to allow a country club-styled track facility to be built on 330 acres of the 2,133-acre site.

Supervisor John Benoit described the project as an exciting opportunity to spur the economy.
It will invigorate and diversify tourism, Todd Keefer, general manager of PGA West, said.

The $70 million project is pitched as a club where owners of high-performance cars can exhibit and race their vehicles. Lots will be parceled out, and sold, for construction of loft-type garages on and off the track.

Limited to day-time use, the private track would be used for car shows and events, movies, photo shoots and testing by auto manufacturers.

Now moving into its project approval phase, investor Blake Miraglia said he has set a goal to get permits to begin grading in July. The first race, ideally, could be held in 2012.

Consider putting it into the “fast track” program,'' Coachella Valley Economic Partnership chief executive Tom Flavin suggested before the vote.

Flavin said the track would bring diversity and development to the airport.

“We view it as an anchor around a potential automotive job cluster,'' Flavin said. “Its uniqueness will attract related users and vendors.''

“The housing element will be some time down the road, as the economy dictates,'' Benoit said, but the economic advantages of living near an amenity like that could make that date come sooner.

The Kohl Ranch community, designed for year-round residences, envisions a place for families with a school, public services, trails and lifestyle amenities.

Besides car owners with high net-worth, Benoit said the plans include a public kart track — with 19 possible configurations — that would appeal to a middle-of-the-road demographic. It would be a spot where kids could learn how to drive, or become a professional driver in the future, he said.

“It's not going to be easy, but we think this is the start of something unique,'' Miraglia said. “By being creative, we think we can kick-start development again.

Visit the Website at:
www.Thermal122.com